Rumor Control

By Alfred Lewers Jr.

I have had the pleasure of being in law enforcement for over twenty years and it never ceases to amaze me how police officers tend to spread rumors worse than most school girls. I hesitate to use such an analogy, as I am the father of two school aged girls who don’t further nearly as many rumors as I have heard passed along by officers.

Let me use this blog entry to respond to some of the rumors that I have read in some police forums or have been confronted with in emails, and phone calls.

RUMOR HAS IT
The Miami Gardens Police Department’s formulation is being funded by a four year federal grant and once the grant is over, financial problems are sure to follow. This is not accurate.

There is no federal, state, local or non-profit grant being used to make possible the Miami Gardens Police Department. All of our 150 positions are being funded by the City of Miami Gardens’ general fund. Though we, like many law enforcement agencies, do intend to take advantage of as many grants as possible to enhance our crime fighting and service capabilities.

RUMOR HAS IT
There is no need to apply for positions at the Miami Gardens Police Department, as they are all filled or guaranteed to others. This is not accurate.

Currently there are 23 Sergeants and 123 Officers positions that have yet to be filled at the Miami Gardens Police Department. Qualified candidates interested in the Sergeants positions should submit your applications by March, 2007, as the first round of oral interviews are scheduled for the month of March. We intend to hire 12 of our 23 sergeants by June 4th, 2007, with the others being fazed in by October 1, 2007.

Police Officers should submit their applications as soon as possible, as the initial shift bid and days off preference will be granted based on the submission date of your applications. So do not procrastinate, submit your application NOW!!! Oral interviews for officers start in June, though dates for interviews are being conveyed to applicants weeks in advance.

The Detectives’ assignments will be filled by qualified officers who are hired into our department. There are no guaranteed assignments promised to any candidates, and all qualified candidates are able to participate in a fair and equitable testing and hiring process.

RUMOR HAS IT
The Miami Gardens Police Department is only hiring state of Florida certified officers at first. This is not accurate.

Our process is open to ALL out of state officers whose training and experience meet the standards of the Florida Department of Law enforcement. Out of state officers must have at least one (1) year of full time paid police experience (police academy, training and FTO time does not count). Out of state officers who meet these standards may apply for the certified police officer position.

The one (1) year experience requirement does not apply to Florida Certified officers.

RUMOR HAS IT
Out of state candidates will have to take the 80 hour comparative compliance course and the State Exam before they can start working. This is not accurate.

In order to become a certified officer in Florida, you will need to demonstrate proficiency in the high liability areas and pass the state certification exam discipline within 1 year of employment and submission of the Equivalency of Training Form (CJSTC-76).

RUMOR HAS IT
The City of Miami Gardens has one of the highest tax rates in south Florida, and they are not a financially secure city. This is not accurate.

The City of Miami Gardens currently pays over $30 million for its current level of police services from Miami-Dade County and is more than able to fund and operate its own police force. The City of Miami Gardens’ tax rate is NOT one of the highest in Miami-Dade County as stated, though it has recently been raised to 5.14 from 3.63. To give you an accurate comparison of other cities in Miami-Dade County, the City of Miami's millage (tax) rate is 8.37, Opa Locka's is 9.80, Homestead's is 6.25, Miami Shores is 8.25 and Avenutura's is 2.27. Don't take my word for it; if you would like more information on the tax rates of other Miami Dade County Cities access this link http://www.miamidade.gov/pa/forms/mill2006adopted.pdf

RUMOR HAS IT
The Miami Gardens Police Department’s benefits and salary are too good to be true and they won’t last. FALSE

We understand that up to 80% of the police departments in this country have positions that they can not fill, and one of the reasons for this shortage of qualified candidates is the sometimes abysmal salaries and benefits that are offered to professional law enforcement officers. We want to make sure that this is not the case in the City of Miami Gardens. We have created the best salary, benefits, and incentives packages in the State of Florida to quickly attract and retain the best most dedicated and professional officers to provide professional police services in our City.

These were just some of the rumors that I have had to contend with, though I hope to have fewer of them to respond to in the future. I ask that each person who reads this blog acts as an agent of truth the next time he or she hears a rumor. Please encourage the false rumor mongors to take the time research the information that they put out to prevent nonsense from being expressed as the truth.

If you have questions that you want answered by someone who has knowledge about the Miami Gardens Police Department, don't miss the opportunity to atend one of our upcoming information sessions. To complete an online registration, please access this link http://mgpolice.org/register1.htm . Look for future information dates in Orlando, West Palm Beach, Detroit and other cities.

If you are unable to locate the answer to your questions on our web site or Blog, please don’t hesitate to complete an online web inquiry form. We will respond to your request for information in a timely manner.

Thanks, and be safe